


A Necessary Conversation

by HappyCamper41



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Awkward Conversations, Comfort, Confused Alya Césaire, Exasperated Marinette Dupain-Cheng, F/M, Healthy Relationships, Helpful Plagg, Light Angst, Platonic Relationships, Pre-Relationship, Supportive Tikki, Unhealthy Relationships, post-episode AU: s03e07 Oblivio
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-01
Updated: 2019-04-01
Packaged: 2019-12-30 17:17:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,510
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18319772
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HappyCamper41/pseuds/HappyCamper41
Summary: In the wake of Oblivio, Adrien, Marinette, and Alya end up asking / getting asked difficult questions.





	1. Chapter 1

“She’s so amazing…” Adrien mused, staring at the image of himself and Ladybug kissing that Alya had captured for the Ladyblog the previous day. He didn’t remember anything from the battle with Oblivio, but he wished more than anything that he could. His lady had actually kissed him! That meant that if she actually gave him a chance, she’d see just how much the two of them were made for each other.

But, thinking about their conversation afterwards, when Alya had presented them with the picture, left Adrien feeling more than a little bit uncomfortable. Ladybug had been less than receptive to his advances, as usual, even though he’d presented her with photographic evidence showing that they would be perfect together.

“Hey Plagg?” The boy called to his kwami, who was currently minding his own business in the corner, savoring a piece of the smelly cheese Adrien always complained about.

“Oh, don’t tell me you’re looking at the picture again!” Plagg groaned, flying over to talk to Adrien, annoyance written all across his features, “You, Adrien, have a problem.” And with that, Plagg poked his chosen in the chest, before turning around, presumably to continue eating.

“Hey!” Adrien protested, “It’s not a problem, I just…” Adrien trailed off, not really able to defend himself against the charge.

“I get that you love her, kid.” Plagg continued, “I really do, but have you ever thought that maybe you need to slow down a little bit?”

“Slow down?” The blond boy frowned, not liking where this conversation was going, “Plagg, look at this picture! I finally have a chance!”

“Maybe…” Plagg sighed, “But think about what happened afterwards. I don’t know human girls as well as I know cheese, but even I could tell that she was embarrassed by what happened.”

“She was pretty upset…” Adrien reluctantly agreed, “But I don’t think that it was really that bad, first off, and second, I think she’d tell me if she was genuinely mad at me.”

This led to an awkward silence between the two of them, as both boy and kwami actively considered whether or not Adrien’s claim was true. As he thought about it, Adrien could remember quite a few times that Ladybug had told him to slow down on his advances, but never in a way that made it seem like she wanted him to stop all together, at least not to him. But the idea that he could be making Ladybug feel uncomfortable was enough to give him pause.

“Plagg?” Adrien asked, “Would you mind answering a question for me, completely seriously.”

“Hm…” Plagg considered, “I’m already at my limit for sentences without a snarky comment in a single conversation, but I suppose I could make an exception.”

“Thanks.” The boy acknowledged, “I’ll buy you some cheese or something later…” Adrien trailed off, clearly not sure how to continue.

“Well?” Plagg prompted, “I don’t have all day you know.”

“Should I stop chasing her?” Adrien blurted, “If the only way she’ll like me is if she doesn’t know anything about me, is this even worth continuing?”

Plagg was surprised by the question. He didn’t think, especially after the incident today, that Adrien was going to give up anytime soon. His gut instinct was to shout ‘yes’ immediately, since the kids pining was annoying, and it clearly wasn’t getting him anywhere (not to mention Ladybug’s patience seemed to be wearing thin), but even Plagg realized that he had to be a bit more diplomatic in how he phrased it. So before continuing, Plagg made a rare display of affection by snuggling up underneath his chosen’s chin.

“I think that’s a good idea.” Plagg told him, quietly, “At the very least, you need to tone it down some. She clearly likes you, even if it’s just a friend. Maybe it’ll become more someday, but pushing it again and again isn’t going to accomplish anything. All it’s going to do is drive you further apart.”

The words hit Adrien like truck, even if he more or less already knew these things. His love for Ladybug… it wasn’t just hero worship. He knew that she wasn’t perfect, knew that she made plenty of mistakes, and had a bit of a temper. He loved her all the more for it, and he knew that letting her go wasn’t going to be easy. 

Not only that, but Adrien knew that while Plagg was trying to be nice about it, Ladybug probably wasn’t going to just decide she loved him someday. She had made it abundantly clear that the other boy, whoever he was, mattered a lot more to her. 

And that was her choice. Even if the guy was a complete jerk, or didn’t give a rat’s ass about her, she was allowed to love him. And no matter how hard Chat Noir tried, he couldn’t just change that. He had told her how he felt, and if she didn’t want him at all… that was her loss. It was his job to respect that. 

“I already tried finding somebody else though.” Adrien pointed out grimly, “You remember how that date with Kagami turned out; I was back to pining after Ladybug by the next time I saw her.”

“Nobody said it’ll be easy.” Plagg soothed, “I’ll be here for you though, no matter what happens. Whether we go after the fencing girl, or I spend the next decade listening to you cry about how Tikki’s girl doesn’t love you… I’m with you.”

“Well, well, well.” Adrien smirked, stroking Plagg’s forehead with his thumb, “Look who’s secretly a complete sap.”

“Hey!” Plagg protested, fixing Adrien with a nasty look and slipping out of his hand, “You know the only reason I stick around is for the cheese!”

“And you know the only reason I give it to you is for the superpowers.” Adrien laughed, and the two of them fell into a comfortable silence. Unfortunately, both Plagg and his conscience had both made some very valid points this evening. Whether he decided to move on or not… it was time for Chat Noir to stop what Ladybug had dubbed as ‘the charming kitty act.’

“Not an act.” Adrien grumbled to himself, “Not an act…”

**********

Not far from the Agreste mansion, Marinette was angrily pacing her pink-colored room, intermittently glaring at the computer monitor showing the kiss and her crimson-colored kwami, who looked more a little bit amused by the whole situation.

“What’s your deal?” Marinette narrowed her eyes at Tikki, “This isn’t funny at all!”

“I mean, maybe just a little bit?” Tikki giggled as Marinette groaned, sitting down at her desk and slamming her head down against it.

“It’s been six months, Tikki.” Marinette shook her head, “Six months since that night when Glaciator attacked and I learned how he felt the first time. And now all the progress in getting him to move on… gone.”

“Are you sure that’s a completely bad thing?” Tikki asked cautiously, “After all, he is a really great guy, you’ve gotten to see it, both as Marinette and Ladybug.”

“It’s the principal of the matter.” Marinette sighed, not looking at Tikki, “It’s nothing personal against him, but I’ve told him no several times now, including right after the thing with Oblivio, but he doesn’t seem to hear me.”

“Oh, that…” Tikki said, “If it bothers you, then maybe you should talk to him. Set up some clear boundaries, and then…” Tikki blinked, as Marinette didn’t even look at her.

She shouldn’t have to tell him these things. Telling harmless jokes, making puns… this wasn’t the problem. The problem was when it got in the way of their job, and when he didn’t stop trying to win her over, it gave off the impression that he didn’t value her feelings. She knew that almost definitely wasn’t trying to make her feel that way, but it certainly felt that way sometimes.

“You might be right, Tikki.” Marinette finally looked at her spotted companion, “I don’t think I should have to tell him again, but I will.” She sighed again, a worried look on her face, “I just hope he doesn’t get too upset again…”

“I’m sure he won’t!” Tikki said brightly, “And if he does, Plagg and I can talk to him together.”

“You’d do that?” Marinette asked appreciatively.

“Of course I would!” Tikki nodded excitedly, flying over to hug Marinette’s face, prompting the girl to giggle out of instinct. A darker expression took over Marinette’s face once again, however, once she glanced at the monitor again.

“I’m going to have to talk to Alya too though.” Marinette said grimly, “First the thing with Lila, and now posting this picture… she’s skating on thin ice.”

“That wasn’t cool of her to do that without asking you first.” Tikki nodded, “But I wouldn’t worry about that either. Alya’s your friend, and she adores Ladybug! I’m sure she’ll listen to you!” The kwami’s entire face was engulfed in positivity.

Because that’s just how Tikki was. No matter how bad the situation, Tikki always managed to find the bright side. Marinette’s thought about her limited interactions with Plagg, and found herself giggling again as she was certain that Chat Noir had drawn the short stick when it came to being assigned kwamis.

“Thanks, Tikki.” Marinette said, rubbing the kwami’s head affectionately, “At least I know that you’ve always got my back.”

“That’s right!” Tikki beamed, “I know that you’ll be able to handle anything the world throws at you, whether it’s an akuma or just awkward drama with boys and school!”

**********


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marinette has necessary conversations with two of the most important people in her life.

Thrilled was an understatement for how Alya felt. Despite having been akumatized for a third time, Alya had gotten to witness Ladybug and Chat Noir kissing! And this wasn’t like the time with Dark Cupid, where Ladybug had made it clear that it was simply to break the akuma’s hold over Chat Noir… this time is was definitely love. While she hadn’t caught it on film, she and Nino had both seen the looks in the heroes eyes before Ladybug used her cure on the situation. They hadn’t needed to kiss, they’d wanted to.

There was also the small matter that this post on the Ladyblog had given her more view than any other. The personal interview with Ladybug was a close second place, and the Lila interview trailed a bit behind them, but this… it was a dream come true for the aspiring journalist. All of the major news outlets had picked up the story, citing the Ladyblog as their source! That lead to both prestige for her career, and revenue from a major advertisements boost.

Alya was just going through the numbers again, when she heard a knocking at her window. Not for the first time, Ladybug was outside, but she didn’t have Chat Noir with her like she had on previous occasions. Alya quickly beckoned her in, and the heroine patiently sat down on Alya’s bed, while she remained seated at her desk.

“Do you need me to become Rena Rouge again?” Alya asked hopefully, “Or are you guys planning another stunt like the one you did with Mr. Damocles last semester?” Alya’s mind spun with all of the possibilities.

“Neither of those, I’m afraid.” Ladybug shook her head grimly. “In fact, I was thinking that we might need to give Rena Rouge a bit of a rest for a while.”

“W-what?” Alya blinked, recoiling as though she’d been slapped, “What do you mean?”

“Er… not that.” Ladybug hastily backtracked, “Not yet, at least.”

Shock was melting away, making room for anger in the young journalist. She had worked so hard, building a platform that damn near worshipped Ladybug, not to mention the time she had fought by her side, and the heroine was going to just stand there and threaten to retire her. This was not okay.

“Not… yet?” Alya’s eyes had narrowed, and she had made finger quotes in the air while repeating Ladybug’s words, “...Care to explain that one to me?”

 

“Alya, you saw how I reacted to that picture.” Ladybug pointed at the monitor, that was conveniently displaying the kiss that created all of the current drama, “I had my mind wiped by Oblivio, who happened to be you by the way, and then you published that picture, even after I made it abundantly clear that Chat and I aren’t in a relationship, and that I love somebody else. You didn’t publish that bit, and just chose to talk about the kiss.”

“Well that’s…” Alya was caught off guard by her idol’s cool demeanor, “I mean, you don’t remember what happened beforehand-”

 

“Doesn’t matter.” Ladybug shook her head, “You didn’t ask me before you published that, and you didn’t even tell the whole story. You just told the story that your fans wanted to hear, leaving myself and Chat with a bit of a PR nightmare when we have to break the truth.”

As much as Alya wanted to deny it, she was coming to realize that Ladybug was exactly right. 

“Look, I’m sorry.” Alya backtracked, “I can take the picture down if it upsets you-”

“That’s not the point.” Ladybug sighed, rubbing her gloved hand against her face, “And it’s too late for that anyways, every outlet under the sun has the picture now. The point is you’ve kinda got a record with this stuff.”

“I do not!” Alya swelled indignantly, and would’ve continued if she hadn’t noticed a sudden steel in the spotted heroine’s eyes that quieted her.

“Lila Rossi?” Ladybug practically spat the name, “That ring a bell with you?” Alya nodded solemnly, and Ladybug continued, “You actually aired a story about a teenage girl claiming to be a good friend of mine, and you’re going to act like you’ve been running a tight ship?” 

The superheroine hadn’t raised her voice, but there was a certain power behind her words that caused hairs on the back of Alya’s neck to stand up. But beyond the physical evidence, Alya’s world was sinking as she considered her idol’s words.

“I- I take it you’re not… friends with Lila?” Alya asked, stumbling over her words a bit in spite of herself, having flipped from defensive to full on apologetic.

“No!” Ladybug shouted, “God, Alya. You really think that I’d let my actual friends go around making claims like that, when it could jeopardize their safety? Do you go around bragging that you’re friends with Ladybug?”

What would’ve normally caused the reported to beam with pride (being called Ladybug’s friend) instead caused her to shrink down in her chair a bit, as she realized that she had absolutely no defence against the accusation. The Lila story had been a huge hit on the blog, and the girl had just sounded so genuine, but the realization that she’d made the whole thing up… it was like a slap in the face.

“Listen…” Ladybug calmed down, “I know you have a good heart. You’ve done a great job as Rena Rouge. But in the last few days, you’ve gone and gotten yourself akumatized along with Carapace, and you’ve basically aired tabloid gossip as actual news. I would’ve expected this from Nadja Chamack, but not from you.”

“Are you- I mean…” Alya struggled to form a sentence, and tears were beginning to form in her eyes as her own personal hero called her out, “I’m sorry?”

“And I’m going to try to forgive you.” Ladybug reached out and put a hand on the girl’s shoulder, mustering an actual smile in spite of the situation, “I’m not keeping you away from Trixx or anything like that. We’re still friends, I just need you to be a little bit more conscientious about your actions.”

“Right.” Alya nodded, wiping her eyes a little bit, “I’ll take down the Lila interview, and I’ll make this up to you somehow. This won’t happen again!”

“I know it won’t.” Ladybug said softly, before rising to leave, “You take care Alya. I know you didn’t mean to do anything wrong.”

And with that, Ladybug swung away, leaving Alya to wonder how a such a wonderful evening had done a complete one eighty in a matter of minutes while she let the tears she was holding back flow freely. While it went unsaid, Alya could tell that she was going to have to work hard to win back the heroine’s trust, and she went to work right away, taking down the Lila Rossi interview, and the photo from the previous day.

**********

Much to her surprise, Ladybug’s swing back to her own room was interrupted by a call from Chat Noir. She quickly stopped on one of the rooftops above the sprawling metropolis before opening the yoyo to see his surprisingly solemn face.

“What’s up Chat?” Ladybug asked, still tired from the conversation with Alya.

“Hey Ladybug.” He answered quietly, and she immediately noticed the lack of any of his usual pet names. He almost never called her ‘Ladybug,’

“I was hoping we could meet up?” He inquired, “There was something I’d like to talk to you about…”

The spotted heroine was surprised, and almost smiled since she had been hoping to talk to him sometime soon about setting up some boundaries. And since their communicators only worked when they were both transformed, it was pretty lucky that they’d caught each other when they did, or else they’d have had to wait until the next akuma attack.

“I’m all ears.” Ladybug told him, after they both arrived on the rooftop of the Notre Dame cathedral (which was conveniently near her own house).

“Yeah, it’s about what happened yesterday.” Chat began awkwardly, and was silent until Ladybug beckoned him to continue, “I couldn’t escape the feeling that I made you uncomfortable after what happened. I was just excited in the moment, because of the kiss, and I didn’t really think about what I said before I said it, so I guess I’m sorry.”

“I was uncomfortable.” Ladybug agreed, “And the way you acted really wasn’t appropriate, given that Alya and Nino were right there.” Chat nodded attentively, and she almost laughed as she could easily picture him taking notes if she were his teacher.

“But…” She continued, “I can admit that the way I was telling you off in front of them wasn’t appropriate either, especially since Alya runs the Ladyblog.”

“You had a right to be upset.” Chat sighed, breaking eye contact to stare down at the busy streets below, “Look… I kind of wanted to talk to you about more than just yesterday.”

“Oh?” Ladybug found herself beginning to worry now. She had come hoping to set up some boundaries, and he seemed to be beating her to the punch, which wasn’t like him at all. She wondered what was bothering him.

“Yeah…” He fidgeted awkwardly, “Do you- I mean… Do you want me to stop?”

“Stop what?” She blinked, walking up next to him and leaning on the railing so she could see his face, “You mean the flirting?”

“Yeah, that.” Chat whispered, and continued after a long pause, “-And the puns, and the nicknames. I just remembered that it got us in trouble during the fight with Oblivio, and it wasn’t the first time.”

The silence between them was deafening as the girl considered what he’d asked. Boundaries were one thing, but a complete abandonment of the way he’d been acting since the day they’d met? She couldn’t even begin to picture a Chat Noir that wasn’t always in her face, making jokes to lighten the mood, and calling her milady instead of her name. She wasn’t sure if she wanted that or not, but Chat clearly needed an answer.

“You’ve have to respect other people’s wishes.” Ladybug decided on, and Chat’s ears drooped a bit at her words, “I’ve turned you down twice now, and both times you let it get in the way of the battle. Not only that, but you’ve kept pressing me to get together. That has to stop.” She declared authoritatively, and Chat immediately nodded.

“And as for the jokes and nicknames…” Ladybug considered, “I’ll leave that up to you. Maybe tone it down a bit, and make sure that it doesn’t get in the way of the battle, like it did with Oblivio. But I won’t ask you to stop completely, and I’m going to ask for you to trust your judgement on that one.”

Again, the silence felt suffocating, as Chat considered his words. But even though she had been mad at him, she was really happy that he’d brought the issue up, and just let her explain what was bothering her, rather than his usual shenanigans.

“Alright then.” Chat nodded again, perking up a bit, “I’ll make sure to keep it in check in the future then. Thanks for being honest with me, Ladybug.”

“And thank you for listening.” She agreed, “We’re partners, after all. We listen to each other, and we trust each other.”

“Yeah…” Chat trailed off, once again looking down at the streets below, “Partners…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I may end up continuing this, but I kind of like where I've left it, since it currently remains almost compliant with the canon. So we'll just have to see.

**Author's Note:**

> It was a good episode, and don't mistake this for me trashing on any of these characters. I really do feel like Chat Noir was just excited by the picture, and wasn't fully considering his actions. After all, the goal he's been chasing for over a year now was just handed to him.
> 
> And as for Alya... I feel like that's just the writers needing to advance their plot, and she just keeps drawing the short straw, making her look more than a little insensitive.


End file.
